"I Want To Add to the Beauty"

Beauty of a flower

Is this land beautiful? I've been looking for the beauty, and sometimes it's hard to find. But most places we've been, I've seen a unique, brightly colored African flower. Usually, there aren't many, but the one I find makes the whole place have beauty. I have to keep my eyes open, because if I don't look for it, I might miss it and then the whole place looks dirty and dingy. But that one flower conveys hope, life, seasons…
Beauty of children being children
I think that's how we have to look at a place like the CAR. You've got to look for the beauty, its there, but you have to find it. Sometimes the beauty comes in never ending grins and handshakes from people who are so honored that you have come to their church. Sometimes it's in the totally awesome sound of African voices praising the same God we praise, with fervor and passion that reminds you of His greatness and His glory. Sometimes its in half dressed, dirty, malnourished children running and laughing, seeming to have no clue that something about their life is terribly wrong.
Beauty of fun

One of my favorite songs is by Sara Groves http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Groves and it is called, "I Want to Add to the Beauty." She says, "I want to add to the beauty, to tell a better story. Shine with the light that's burning up inside." That's what we want to do here in the Central African

Beauty of friendship

Republic. Add to the beauty of

the CAR with the light of Christ that is burning up inside of us. We want to tell a better story. The story of Jesus Christ and redemption. The beauty is here in ways you may have never seen it, but it is here, there is no mistake. All I want to do is add to the beauty. Beauty the way God sees it, not the way my little human eyes see it. It's a lot more hopeful and "doable" to add to beauty the way God defines it. In his definition, it means touching the person with AIDS, sharing a meal with hard working people who need to laugh, waving to a child on the side of the road, singing alleluia with African brothers and sisters, covering a latrine for a pygmy village, having a Bible club ministry to orphans. That's God's beauty; that's His standard. His beauty requires communing with the Holy Spirit so that we know where and how to add to the beauty; that's it. We can all do that. Beauty of giving

Laura Gibson